History of Tattoos/Body Art - Research Paper Example

Beginning in pre-historic times, the practice of tattooing has been used as a means of decorating the body or denoting information important to the individual. The art has been used on the bodies of tribe members, gang members, military members and other individuals in every culture throughout the world…

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Originating perhaps as significant identification or ranking systems and evolving through time to take on a variety of meanings and approaches, today’s artistic approach to the tattoo can be as obscure and complex as some of the designs are themselves.
Tattoos are hardly a recent phenomenon. This form of body art has been in existence for at least 5000 years and the practice likely dates to the very beginnings of mankind. The celebrated finding of the Iceman in 1991 provided evidence that people have tattooed themselves for 5,300 years, the Iceman’s age. “Carbon 14 dating done on the bones and tissue of the Iceman proved that he had died some 5,300 years ago.” (Wiman-Rudzinski). This prehistoric man was adorned with blue-tinted markings that covered much of his fingers. Innsbruck University Professor Konrad Spindler hypothesized that his tattoos were either for decorative purposes or were thought to have mystical powers by the Iceman and his tribe to ward off sickness, relieve pain, bring luck in the hunt, etc. Another possibility is that the tattoos specified his social position within the group. Whatever the reason, the Iceman wore 58 tattoos which were astonishingly well preserved for being that old. The tattoos likely were applied with charcoal and consisted of simple lines and spots. Interestingly, the Iceman also had worn an earring (Wiman-Rudzinski). In addition to tattoos, people have evidently worn earrings for more than 5000 years as well. Earrings remain the most popular type of body piercing. Nose-rings have been known to exist for 4000 years with origins in the Middle-East but little evidence that this was practiced elsewhere until the Sixteenth Century when it surfaced in India. Mayan and Aztec High Priests pierced their tongues for thousands of years in rituals designed to better facilitate communication with the gods. Nipple piercing is known to have been practiced by Central American natives for an untold number of centuries for a variety of reasons including as a symbol of transitioning into manhood. Julius Caesar’s Roman honour-guard pierced their nipples to symbolize unity, strength and pride. Women in the Victorian age of the late 1800’s pierced their nipples, some going as far as piercing both then hanging chains off the rings connecting one with the other. They considered this practice a demonstration of glamour. Piercing the navel dates back to the ancient Egyptians but only those of royalty were permitted to wear naval rings. The penalty for a person not of the Pharaohs family to have their naval pieced was severe. “Peasants who broke the rule were sentenced to death. On the other hand if a peasant girl was born with the perfect belly button she was sometimes permitted to have it pierced, therefore moving her social status up the ladder” (Coyle, 2008 pg. 3 para. 3). Persons of the highest social status in ancient Briton were commonly tattooed as were ancient Romans. One Roman tribe in Northern Italy was named ‘Picti’ which translated means ‘the painted people.’ However, among most Romans and Greeks as well, tattoos were called ‘stigmata,’ and were generally associated with being marked as someone’s property. The word ‘stigma’ was derived from this usage. Stigmata were also common in some religious cults of that time. Eventually, being tattooed became popular with Roman soldiers but when Constantine, the
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...in their lives through that tattoo. It might also be acquired to represent the rebellion against the status quo or those in authority for instance teenagers worldwide get tattoos and body piercings to express their disobedience to their parents who are rarely fond of these activities. The modern day tattooing is made a lot easier, thanks to scientific development and new laser technologies. One of the forms of bodyart, which has descended down from ancient times and successfully transited in the cultures of modern times, is henna art. Made of natural herbs, it is used to decorate hands and feet of women in eastern...

.... Tattooing has also been used in the history of the USA as an honor for warriors that used to fight bravely. “In the Jesuit Relations of 1663, it was reported that an Iroquois chief known to the French as "Nero" bore on this thighs 60 tattooed characters, each of which symbolized an enemy killed with his own hand” (“North America’s First”). Captain James Crook made a voyage to Tahitia in 1769 where he noticed that the local people were skilled in marking their skins. The indigenous people printed symbols on their bodies and tattooing was established as a field of art. The American sailors in the early nineteenth century played a...

...?BodyArt: Electronic Tattoos Imagine it is late at night and you are walking down a lonely street. Your chest tightens, and you cannot breathe. You realize that you are having a heart attack and you start to panic. There is no need to worry, however, because a medical response unit appears from nowhere and begins the treatment that will save your life. Thanks to the life monitoring equipment that is integrated into your skin, the team has been summoned, and they are able to administer the necessary drugs only minutes after your heart begins to show signs of distress. Lying in your hospital bed you reflect that it is perhaps time to consider having the latest phone or GPS system installed. The possibilities of wearable electronics... for the...

...and clear. The Cycladic female figure is less precise and more abstract. It is less elaborate and more symbolic.
I think the museum has displayed the art properly especially the Kouros because it is placed in the center where people can appreciate its fullness and presence. The female statue has been given a less prominent position in the museum compared to the Kouros maybe due to its size and composition.
I have chosen these two pieces of art because they have caught my attention and interest. Such intricate design and genius of a work is indeed something to be amazed about. Since I do not know much about the ancient civilization, seeing how they represent the human body and how...

...), but again, the inclusion of these categories of body modification under the umbrella of bodyart is subject to much debate.
Bodyart has been around for centuries, with tattooed Mummies being common from the age of the Egyptians, to henna painting in India, which is centuries old. The inhabitants of the islands of the Pacific have some of the most magnificent tattooing in the world, which is known to have been practiced by them for centuries. Many other cultures, from Africa to Australia, to the Pacific islands, are known to have participated in body modification (neck stretching, ear ornamentation) for centuries. The widespread nature, and long history, of bodyart suggests that the human body has been, and is, a canvas... ...

...1 Chauntelle Keilholtz Reflective Essay 9 March 2006 I Met Someone Covered in Tattoos: BodyArt or Self Mutilation I arrived late for theparty on the boat, alone and nervous. I knew nobody there except the host. Looking around me I saw beautiful people, skimpily but fashionably dressed, it was a hot August night. Wearing a long tunic blouse and floor length skirt, I felt overdressed. I noticed a young guy, in his twenties, who wore a buttoned-up shirt and Levis. I was covered up to hide the bulges of my not-so-beautiful body, he had no need to do so, he looked good.
He nodded to me, smiled and soon we were talking like old friends. He was bright and funny and I found...

...‘BodyArt’ The carnival I visited exhibited human-art in the form of tattoos. The walking form of art was most surprising and commendable. Historically, tattoos on human body parts have been a tradition in many societies, but in some; they have never been appreciated either displayed vividly or kept hidden. The art engraved on diverse body parts display how a person wants to decorate, announce, remember, depict, denounce, his intended and unsaid message to others. Many at times, these tattoos are engraved at places where one wants to display it to the people he cares and...

...ROMANESQUE ART- ARTHISTORY Term Year Pre-Romanesque and Romanesque art can be traced to the period between 800 and 1150AD. The art was popular in Western Europe. During this period, the art was manifested in the architecture of the structures designed. The Pre-Romanesque art was developed by application of Roman designs in the Christian churches such as Sainte-Madeleine de Vézelay. After some time, there was a fusion of the Roman elements with Byzantium elements from the Middle East which led to the period known as Romanesque. Every individual architectural design in the Romanesque period has a clearly definite form of...

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